Ginsburg, known for her penchant to stick up for the little guy, bemoans the fact the she is now the only woman on the U.S. Supreme court, at a time when new leadership in the high court is moving to limit its judicial power and take a less activist stance in American society. "I have been all alone in my corner of the bench," she has said. Ginsburg continues to carry on. In one notable ruling, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the court's majority raised the bar higher for wage discrimination suits, ruling a Goodyear supervisor who earned far less than her male colleagues only had 180 days to bring her complaint after Goodyear's salary evaluation. Writing in the minority, Ginsburg stuck up for vulnerable workers, called the ruling "indifferent" to pay bias, and adding that the ruling "is totally at odds with the robust protection against workplace discrimination Congress intended...to secure."—Tatiana Serafin

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Published sources include the women's official biographies, Factiva, International Who's Who of 2006, Marquis Who's Who, World Almanac of Famous People, Palgrave Who's Who 2006, the Congressional Yellow Book, the Judicial Yellow Book, Europa World Year Book, Hoover's Online, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, World Economic Forum, the World Book Encyclopedia. Rankings generated by combining various financial figures with other media and biography metrics; global media mentions from Factiva.